Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was forced to resign as Bangladesh’s prime minister following violent protests calling for her to step down.
Two days ago, Sheikh Hasina resigned as Bangladesh’s prime minister, fleeing the capital Dhaka amid violent protests calling for her removal, and landed near Delhi. Since then, speculation has been rife about where Hasina might go next. Soon after fleeing Dhaka, it was reported that the 76-year-old leader was planning to seek asylum in the UK. However, with London hesitant, the Awami League leader appears to be considering other options.
What Sheikh Hasina’s son said
In an interview with NDTV, Sheikh Hasina’s son and Awami League leader Sajeeb Wazed Joy said reports that his mother had sought asylum in the UK were false. “She has not applied for asylum anywhere so the question that the UK or the US is yet to answer is not true. In any case, my mother was planning to retire after the end of this term. She is done with Bangladeshi politics,” he said.
Sheikh Hasina’s daughter Saima Wazed is WHO’s regional director for South-East Asia and lives in Delhi. However, she has not seen Sheikh Hasina since fleeing Dhaka, according to her Twitter posts. “Heartbroken over the loss of life in our beloved country. Truly painful not being able to see and hug my mother during these difficult times. I remain committed to my role as RD. @WHOSEARO@WHO#HealthForAll#OneWHO,” she wrote on X.
What did Britain say?
Sheikh Hasina’s sister, Sheikh Rehana, is a British citizen, and her daughter, Tulip Siddiq, is a Labour politician and a minister in Keir Starmer’s government. The UK has also given refuge to several prominent figures in the Indian subcontinent, including former Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif. So, shortly after she fled Dhaka, reports predicted she would head to the UK.
But the Home Office told NDTV that UK immigration rules do not allow people to travel to the UK seeking asylum or temporary refuge, and a spokesman said people seeking asylum must seek asylum “in the first safe country they reach”.
“The UK has a proud record of providing protection to those who need it, but there are no provisions allowing people to travel to the UK seeking asylum or temporary refuge,” the Home Office said.
Is the United States an option?
Sheikh Hasina’s son Joy is based in the US, but it is unlikely that she will emigrate there as relations between Washington DC and Dhaka have deteriorated sharply during her tenure. Indeed, when the Awami League won a landslide victory in Bangladesh’s elections earlier this year, the US State Department said, “The United States is concerned by the arrests of thousands of opposition members and reports of election day irregularities. The United States shares the view with other observers that the elections were not free and fair, and regrets the failure of all political parties to participate.”
There have been reports that the United States revoked Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visa after she stepped down as prime minister, but there has been no official confirmation and authorities say visa records are confidential.
Earlier, the United States had said it stood with the people of Bangladesh after Sheikh Hasina fled the country. “We welcome the announcement of a caretaker government and urge that any transition of power be carried out in accordance with Bangladeshi law,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said, pointing to reports of human rights abuses and deaths during violent protests against the Awami League government.
What about India?
Sheikh Hasina has been in India since she arrived there on Monday. Speaking in Parliament on the situation in Bangladesh, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said Sheikh Hasina had sought permission to visit India on short notice.
The government reportedly told an all-party meeting that it had given veteran politician Hasina time to decide her next move. Sheikh Hasina is in a state of shock and the government is giving her time to recover before discussing these issues, the people said.
New Delhi also faces a diplomatic dilemma here. It does not want to be seen as openly supporting an ousted leader, as this could complicate relations with the new government in Bangladesh, a geopolitical strategic partner. At the same time, it must keep in mind the history of Sheikh Hasina’s ties with India. Long before she became prime minister, the Indira Gandhi government had given her shelter after her entire family, including her father Mujibur Rahman, was assassinated in the 1975 Bangladesh riots. So, abandoning her at this point would also not be an easy decision, given her relationship with Delhi.
